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Candlelight Vigil In Studio City Will Honor Fallen Firefighter

STUDIO CITY (CBS) — Friends and family of fallen Los Angeles firefighter Glenn Allen will gather Thursday night at Studio City's Station 78 for a candlelight vigil.

The 90-minute vigil will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the station, 4041 Whitsett Ave.

Allen, 61, was a 38-year veteran of the department and was about a year from retirement when he was injured while fighting a blaze in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. A ceiling collapsed on him and five other firefighters and Allen died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, just a day before his first grandson was born.

The house has been declared a crime scene, and investigators are combing through the mansion to determine whether fire codes had been violated.

The other firefighters were not seriously hurt, although one broke an ankle. The fire may have been sparked by a faulty gas fireplace.

The owners of the house, who had been living there for only about a week, escaped the blaze unharmed. Firefighters estimated the damage at $250,000.

A funeral will be held Friday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Allen is survived by his wife, Melanie; his daughter, Rebecca McPhee; his son-in-law, Brandon McPhee; his grandson; his mother, Alberta Holtze; his brother, Bruce Allen; and his sister, Deborah Abrams.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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